Nihon Essayist Club Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 24 (1976) award
Shoichi Watanabe
わたなべ しょういち
Watanabe Shoichi
Aliases:
大島淳一
Pen Names:
Jun'ichi Oshima（Pseudonym used for some translations and early works）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1930-10-15 （Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan）
- Died
- 2017-04-17 （Suginami, Tokyo, Japan） age 86
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese, English
- Residence History
- Tsuruoka, Yamagata (birthplace) → Suginami, Tokyo (residence / place of death)
Career
- Occupations
- English scholar, Critic/Commentator, University professor
- Active Years
- 1955-2017
- Affiliations
- Sophia University (Professor Emeritus), The Nippon Foundation (Councillor), Japan Bibliophile Society (Chair)
- Influenced By
- Martin Heidegger, Martin Grabmann
- Influenced
- Conservative commentators and public intellectuals
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia University | Faculty of Humanities (English Literature) | Department of English Literature | 修士（西洋文化研究） | 1950s | Japan |
| University of Münster (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster) | Philosophy / Philology | Doctoral program (history of English grammar) | Dr. phil. (magna cum laude) | 1950s | Germany |
Sophia University
Faculty of Humanities (English Literature)
/ Department of English Literature
Degree:
修士（西洋文化研究）
Period:
1950s
Year of Graduation:
1955
Country:
Japan
Completed graduate studies at Sophia University; served as an assistant there before academic appointments
University of Münster (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster)
Philosophy / Philology
/ Doctoral program (history of English grammar)
Degree:
Dr. phil. (magna cum laude)
Period:
1950s
Year of Graduation:
1958
Country:
Germany
Received Dr. phil. for research in the history of English grammar; dissertation was published locally and later translated into English.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Dr. phil. (degree, magna cum laude) | Doctoral dissertation (later published in Japanese as 'A History of English Grammar') | 学位 | University of Münster | 授与 |
| 1976 | Japan Essayists' Club Award | Fuhai no Jidai (The Age of Corruption) | — | Japan Essayists' Club | 受賞 |
| 1985 | Seiron Grand Prize | — | — | Seiron (magazine) | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Honorary Dr. phil. (h.c.) | — | 名誉学位 | University of Münster (Honorary degree) | 授与 |
| 2015 | Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays | — | — | Government of Japan (Cabinet Office) | 受章 |
Dr. phil. (degree, magna cum laude)
1958
Work:
Doctoral dissertation (later published in Japanese as 'A History of English Grammar')
Category:
学位
Organization:
University of Münster
Result:
授与
Japan Essayists' Club Award
1976
Work:
Fuhai no Jidai (The Age of Corruption)
Organization:
Japan Essayists' Club
Result:
受賞
Seiron Grand Prize
1985
Organization:
Seiron (magazine)
Result:
受賞
Honorary Dr. phil. (h.c.)
1994
Category:
名誉学位
Organization:
University of Münster (Honorary degree)
Result:
授与
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays
2015
Organization:
Government of Japan (Cabinet Office)
Result:
受章
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
A History of English Grammar
1965 Scholarly / History of linguisticsA scholarly study of the historical development of English grammar, based on his doctoral dissertation originally written in German.
history of Englishhistory of grammar
How to Lead an Intellectual Life
1976 Self-improvement / EssayAn essay collection offering advice on reading, learning and cultivating an intellectual life; it became a bestseller in Japan.
reading habitslifelong learningcultivation of intellect
The Age of Corruption
1975 Social commentary / CriticismCritique of postwar Japanese social trends and perceived decline in public morals.
social criticismmorality
History of Linguistics (English studies)
1975 ScholarlyA scholarly overview of the development and main topics in English linguistics.
English linguisticshistory of scholarship
A History of British Scholarship
1990 Scholarly / HistoryA study surveying the history of scholarship and culture in Britain.
British historyhistory of scholarship
Bibliography
- A History of English Grammar
- How to Lead an Intellectual Life
- The Age of Corruption
- History of Linguistics (English studies)
- A History of British Scholarship
Translations by Author
- Co-translation of 'History in the English Language'
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- clear, persuasive argumentative proseconservative, polemical tone
- Recurring Motifs
- cultivation of intellectual lifehistorical revision / perspectivenational interest / conservative thought
Health
-
heart failure2017（死去）Died of heart failure in April 2017
Legacy
Beyond his scholarly work in English linguistics, he was a prominent conservative public intellectual in Japan. Works such as 'How to Lead an Intellectual Life' reached a wide readership; his positions on history, education and politics provoked both support and controversy.
Academic Societies
- Japan Bibliophile Society
In Popular Culture
- Frequent appearances on television and radio as commentator (e.g. 'Take-mura Kenichi no Sesou wo Kiru', 'Shoichi Watanabe's New Century Conversations')
Trivia
- Owned an extensive private library—reports indicate tens of thousands of volumes (some reports cite over 150,000).
- His wife was a pianist; all three children became professional musicians (daughter: pianist; elder son: cellist; younger son: violinist).